Samanta Sharmin resigns from NCP, says party cannot break away from old-style politics even if it leaves Jamaat

National Citizen Party (NCP) Joint Convener Samanta Sharmin has resigned, citing the party’s alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, its failure to ensure women’s representation and a lack of internal democracy.

She shared her resignation letter to the media on Thursday afternoon, outlining four reasons for her decision.

In her resignation statement, Samanta criticised the NCP’s political alignment with Jamaat, saying the latter did not genuinely support the reform agenda that emerged from the 2024 uprising.

She said Jamaat did not consider the three areas of reform part of its political agenda or proposed state project. Its philosophical foundation and vision for the state, she argued, were not democratic.

Samanta said the NCP could have joined forces with political groups seeking to challenge the existing political system or contested the elections independently, even amid the failure of reform initiatives by the National Consensus Commission, the Election Commission and the interim government.

She argued that the party’s alliance with Jamaat had undermined the possibility of building a new political culture after the uprising.

The NCP joint convener also criticised the party for failing to ensure women’s participation in its decision-making process and future political leadership.

Despite women making up nearly 51% of the population, she said, the party had marginalised women, disregarded their protests and made important decisions based on the views of its male majority.

Samanta further questioned the party’s decision to restructure its convening committee without holding a council. She said the move undermined internal democracy and suppressed dissent within the party.

She argued that making major organisational changes before electing party leadership raised questions about the NCP’s commitment to internal democracy and impartiality.

In her statement, Samanta said that even if the NCP changed its position or withdrew from its alliance with Jamaat, she did not believe it could develop an independent political identity, vision or programme outside the traditional style of politics.

She said the party had failed to establish a distinct political direction and break away from the practices of the old political establishment.